Just in case you thought the world wasn’t scary enough, apparently British teen girls spurred an ad campaign warning them not to carry or hide their boyfriends’ guns. The ads are aimed at girls of African and African-Caribbean heritage, who apparently have been stashing their dudes’ guns, getting arrested for weapon possession and convicted of the crimes committed with the weapons. There have been seven cases like this in the past year, which doesn’t sound like a lot—except that Britain is a tiny country, and one with probably the strictest gun legislation in the world. You can’t own a gun there without “good reason,” and that doesn’t include self defense. A police chairman who works on gang shootings says, “Sadly, young women have always been involved in carrying and storing firearms. We are deeply concerned, however, that this involvement seems to be increasing and those who are involved seem to be younger and younger. Vulnerable young women are sometimes pressurized into storing or transporting the weapons by men they know, or sometimes willingly do so.” When you’re 15-years-old, you should be worrying about your calculus homework and that emo boy you have a crush on, not where to hide your boyfriend’s glock! What has the world come to when it’s necessary to say, “Hey girls, I know you’re super tempted, but don’t carry your boyfriends gun for him?” [Reuters]

Want a new iPod? Or a Wii? Or a Fujitsu laptop? Get tested for STDs! In a new attempt to get England’s sexually rampant youth out of the bedroom and into a clinic, Britain’s National Health Service is entering folks who get tested in raffles for expensive high-tech toys and even weekend getaways. Why? Because there’s been a serious chlamydia outbreak there lately, and the disease is now the number one STD in the country. The NHS is dipping into taxpayer’s money, practically bribing folks to get tested. [Daily Mail] 

Do you like wearing dark suits? Can you keep a secret? Does a tear well up in your eye when you hear the Mission Impossible theme song? Well, the British spy network M16 is looking for some tough bitches. Since the London subway bombing in 2005, the secret service has been trailing 21,000 people and 200 plans, so they need all the girls they can get to nab the bad guys! In their want ad, they promise not to use the women purely as “honey pots” or sexy bait. The 007-style secret agency says no probs if you’re a mom, bonus points if you speak languages like Arabic and like your martinis shaken, not stirred.  While traditionally the M16 has been a boys club, they’re trying to diversify and it looks like the next real life Bond could be a woman!  [Boston Globe]

BBC News published an article on Britain’s “secretive “S&M scene” yesterday, saying that Max Mosley’s antics are really opening people up. (He had a sadomasochistic session with five prostitutes, with whom he engaged in a concentration camp scenario.) The comments in response to the story are great though, because many BDSM practitioners defend their chosen sex life. One even sort of confirms yesterday’s post about being born with the desire for S&M: “I don’t really indulge in S&M (it just hurts, frankly, which is a good way to tell if it’s for you).” Other commenters are upset with the BBC for printing the story: “It’s clear to me that England is becoming more Satanic in nature every day, and the people who work for the BBC must take some responsibility for that.” Let’s blame the war in Iraq on the BBC, while we’re at it. [BBC]

Ahh, Glastonbury, the ultimate U.K. musical festival where regular folk hobnob with Kate Moss and risk getting punched in the face by Amy Winehouse. How we wish we could have gone and hung out this past weekend, checking out performances by everyone from Duffy to Jay-Z. Unforch, we will have to settle for the next best thing…the slideshow after the jump. Tally-ho!

Um, wow. I am kind of speechless. The New York Daily News reports that a new modeling show has come to town, this one called Britain’s Missing Top Model. The U.K. show features models with various disabilities, like missing limbs, partial paralysis, and hearing loss. The show wants to challenge society’s traditional notions of beauty, which sounds great to me, but I also know that none of these women are going to be bigger than a size four, so that’s a standard of beauty no one is really willing to face yet either. Anyway, Marie Claire U.K. editor Marie O’Riordan serves as a judge for Missing Top Model, and says, “I do believe the program could help challenge our attitudes to disability. I want to see the winner shake up the fashion industry. These young women shouldn’t be invisible to the fashion world just because they are disabled.” Can we just ask one question? What is the deal with the title? “Missing” Model? What does that mean? [The NY Daily News]

Here’s a switch: there’s an American teen invasion in Britain. High schoolers in the U.K. who see movies like Napoleon Dynamite and Mean Girls  want proms of their very own. Over the past few years Hummer limos, tuxedo rentals, and candy-colored ball gowns have been selling/renting like hot cakes across the country. Really, of all our American traditions—baseball, putting cheese on everything, driving on the right side of the road—why, oh why, did they pick this one? To the senior class of the U.K., let The Frisky save you $1000 bucks and some emotional scarring—forget the frills, kids. Stay home, buy a six-pack, crank up the radio, and invite your date over. The best things about prom night are free. [Wall Street Journal]

On my way home, during my lunch hour, when my mom comes to visit, post any of my numerous break ups, pre-any hot dates, if I have an upcoming party, if it rains, if the weather is fine, no matter what…I always want to do one thing: SHOP! I have a couple credit cards and a habit- luckily it’s still legal or I’d be writing this from jail. (At one point, a vintage store kept a rack on the side for me…oh those were the days.) While I thought my penchant for garments made me stylish, it actually seems like it could be my single gal substitute for sex.  According to a new study conducted by a retailer in Britain, 78% of the 2,000 people they surveyed found shopping more gratifying than sex. Me? I know I’m as good in bed as I am for the economy…. [UK Mirror]

What do you do in your bed? According to a British survey, sex is only the 10th most popular bedtime activity—after sleep, talking, TV, surfing the Internet, using the phone, work, and computer games. What?! How come eating Ben & Jerry’s out of the container didn’t make the list?! [Blog.Wired.com]

Kindergarten is all about learning the basics—from the alphabet to addition. With that in mind, lawmakers in the United Kingdom are exploring whether sex should also be included in their public primary schools’ curricula across the nation. “This review is a direct response to concerns raised by young people,” School Minister Jim Knight said. A panel comprised of representatives from organizations like the Family Planning Association, an HIV charity, and the Sex Education Forum, will be investigating the value of starting lessons at such a formative age.  While the jury consists of colleagues that represent the political spectrum, they are expected to endorse a 2006 Government report, submitted by the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy and the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV, which advised early Sex and Relationship Education. Children’s Minister Beverly Hughes hopes this kind of program will help prevent teenage pregnancy and give areas with high incidence rates the kick in the butt they need to improve their record.  Although the preventive measure may seem extreme, sexuality is pervasive in the media and there is plenty of information at children’s fingertips on the Interweb.  It’s better kids hear the facts from a teacher first, before they Google their questions and get links to kinky porn sites in return. [Daily Mail]

“Your eyes are the same color as my Porsche.”  While this pick-up line may have success in Germany, according to a Times Online article on international dating styles, all men find themselves constantly fumbling for a way to impress the ladies. From handling finances to feminism, guys around the globe chimed in with their whiny tales of chasing tail. What did they have to say? Frenchmen, known for their seductive savoir faire, gripe that it’s hard to meet women because they seem so busy. Passionate Italian men, who like to hoot, whistle, and grab, complain new sexual harassment laws are holding them back. On the other hand, shy Australian guys require a wingman for back-up. The well-dressed Brits find themselves too proper to make passes unless they have liquid courage and Germans are obsessed with self-help dating seminars. Wah, wah! What about American guys? Find out, after the jump.

There’s a new trend in Britain, and even the BBC nightly newsman Jeremy Paxman is reporting his findings. The accent may make you weak in the knees, but British men have got something even sexier in their pants: hot underwear.  From David Beckham’s Armani tight white briefs, to the print pairs by Ginch Gonch, the U.K. is packaging their manhood like no other nation. And they can’t stop bragging from newspapers, to billboards, to bedrooms.  While American men are responsible for the so un-sexy sagging pants with boxer look, English chaps are doing their part to glorify the men’s meat market. Ladies, it’s definitely time for another British invasion! [Telegraph U.K.]